I don't care whether anyone thinks its a small problem but I could've been done in if I wouldn't have shifted to neutral.
Suddenly Fiat ... Ferrari In Affordable Trim has become Fiat ... Fix It Again Tony!

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Btw the fuel gauge showed quarter tank and when they filled fuel at the service center it moved and showed 3/4 th.
Also this was the first day driving after my service so i had no indication of low fuel whatsoever.
the last time I filled fuel the gauge seemed fine and there was never any indication (neither the light nor the on board display)
Even the service guys only made it out after opening it up today

Well sorry if the title scared anyone but that's how I felt.
Now what actually happened ...
Well it seems the fuel pump burned and conked off and the fuel gauge which is supposedly a part of the same assembly never indicated to me that I've run out of fuel.
The service center Fiat expert casually told me " oh this is the third case like this "
Anyway now the perennial Fiat hassle ...
Spare parts not available.
@ half clutch ... yes you are right...opp Times of India

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Damn, this is some thing very priority issue (parts not avail) which FIAT has to address immediately i guess.

@eyeguy - I am not able to understand what actually happened. Did you run out of fuel and the fuel gauge did not indicate, or did the fuel pump burn out and stopped pumping fuel? I am confused. Could you please elaborate?

Well it seems the fuel pump burned and conked off and the fuel gauge which is supposedly a part of the same assembly never indicated to me that I've run out of fuel.The service center Fiat expert casually told me " oh this is the third case like this "

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I have had the fuel pump conk out twice in my car. In my case the first time I did not get a proper diagnosis and they replaced it under Ext Warranty. The second time it conked off because it showed incorrect fuel level (25% remaining) and I ran out of fuel at a signal. The second incident was 7 months after the first! This too was replaced under Ext. Warranty. I have written to Fiat folks about the poor quality and I think you should too.

While I agree that this was a scary case of a critical part failure and that you really lucky to escape an accident, I also think we, as drivers have the responsibility to track how frequently we fill fuel, or track how long we have run after filling fuel. By doing this, we get a chance to monitor anything suspicious or abnormal with the car. I don't think it is a good practice to wait for the car to tell us when to refuel, except, of course, in unavoidable situations.

I grew up seing my brother using a 6 inch wooden ruler to measure the diesel left in the fuel tank of our jeep everyday morning (1980's). I know we cant go to that extent, but it is a good parctice to track how much we spend on fuel and how frequently.

@ fiatlover... the car was just back from the service center so i dont know if they used up the fuel (don't tell me that doesn't happen )
And after buying an 11 lakh car if I can't rely on something as simple as a fuel gauge I'd rather stick to my 8 year old Santro ... at least it won't leave me stranded like this.

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@ caffeineam ... did you get any response from the Fiat guys cos I plan to lodge a complaint too

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Btw ... I have a feeling the problem is with the service guys not just the car per se.
I have had a problem within 1 week of EVERY service I have done. ( A/c "o" ring gone, Turbo boost sensor gone, now fuel pump gone). And except for 1 Fiat expert at the center nobody else understands any thing of the car. To top it all I've got 3 calls in 2 days from the service center asking if the car is working fine ... without having done the job yet ... that too in the middle of my surgeries. Damn irritating!